Written by: Steve Melito, Industry Blog Writer for FuzeHub
On Manufacturing Day, President Barack Obama announced a new Manufacturing Innovation Institute Competition for an Integrated Photonics Manufacturing Institute. Early this year, the President unveiled plans for manufacturing innovation institutes in Chicago and Detroit, along with a national competition for four more private-public sector initiatives.
Through the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), the Obama administration hopes to build regional hubs that will accelerate the development of cutting-edge manufacturing technologies. Each manufacturing innovation institute will also help build workforce skills and enhance production capabilities at manufacturers of all sizes.
Backed by over $200 million in public and private resources, the Integrated Photonics Manufacturing Institute is expected to represent the largest NNMI investment to-date. The Department of Defense (DOD) will award more than $100 million in contracts, with the remainder of the money coming from private investment. With applications ranging from lasers to battlefield imaging, photonics R&D is mission-critical.
In addition to defense and security, photonics has important medical and telecommunications applications. As the NNMI and DOD survey potential locations for an Integrated Photonics Manufacturing Institute, will a New York location win the national competition? Does the Empire State have the pieces in place to help build an end-to-end photonics eco-system with everything from workforce development to foundry access?
From the Albany area’s Tech Valley to Buffalo and beyond, New York State can build a convincing case. Could GlobalFoundries’ plans to buy IBM’s microelectronics unit, and SolarCity’s announcement of a planned factory in Buffalo help to put decisionmakers in a “New York State of Mind”?
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Read Original Story: FACT SHEET: President Obama Announces New Manufacturing Innovation Institute Competition